Colin Hutton/Hartswood Films
More than a decade before Oona Chaplin could be seen menacing Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) in “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” she faced off against Benedict Cumberbatch on BBC’s “Sherlock.” In the Season 2 premiere, “A Scandal in Belgravia,” Chaplin plays a schoolteacher with whom Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) has a brief relationship.
The episode marks the only appearance of Chaplin’s “Sherlock” character, Jeanette, and her interactions with the titular detective showcase his anti-social tendencies. At a 221B Baker Street Christmas party, Sherlock calls Jeanette “Sarah,” mistaking her for one of Watson’s previous girlfriends. When Watson apologizes on Sherlock’s behalf, Cumberbatch’s cad carries on, “No, I can get this. Sarah was the doctor, then there was the one with the spots, and the one with the nose, and then who was after the boring teacher?”
“Nobody,” responds Jeanette. Apparently, she is the “boring teacher.”
Chaplin’s other most notable role would have to be Talisa Maegyr in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” Over the course of 11 episodes, Talisa serves a crucial storyline purpose when she marries Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and carries their unborn child. Tragically, Talisa is also a key part of one of the most infamous “Thrones” episodes: “The Rains of Castamere” and its deeply upsetting Red Wedding.
